Orlando, FL
The South Florida tournament series continued with a W15k event in Orlando, FL. We were especially excited—not only was it another opportunity to compete close to home, but it also marked our first W15k tournament of the year. Playing at this level typically means slightly easier competition compared to higher-tier events, but as always, the luck of the draw can be unpredictable.
Since Orlando is only about an hour and a half away, we were able to avoid hotel costs, which helped us save on expenses. We took off work the Monday before the tournament to make the drive and get a feel for the courts. This particular event was held at the USTA National Campus, a venue we hadn’t played at before—and it’s massive, with a total of 98 tennis courts!
Of course, playing a summer tournament in Florida isn’t for the weak. On Tuesday morning, just as we were getting ready to drive over for our match, we noticed all matches had been suspended at 10 a.m. Confused, we contacted the tournament director, who informed us that everything was paused due to extreme heat. According to WTA rules, if the heat index reaches 96°F or higher, all play must be suspended. Play didn’t resume until 6 p.m. that day—meaning no doubles matches were played on Tuesday at all.
Wednesday brought another heat index delay, although this time it only lasted a few hours. Our match was eventually scheduled for 7 p.m., which meant a long day of waiting and trying to stay mentally ready. Going into this W15k, we were hopeful for a more favorable draw. But as has become a pattern for us, "easy draw" wasn't in the cards. In the first round, we were matched up against the #2 seeds—a team composed of a Romanian player ranked around WTA #800 and a Japanese player ranked #700. On top of that, both of them were left-handed. Facing even one lefty in doubles is unusual, so to go up against an all-lefty team for the second time in a row felt like déjà vu. Fortunately, having just played a similar team recently in our last Boca Raton tournament, we came into the match confident and ready.
The first set was tight, with both teams holding serve consistently, but we managed to break at a key moment and took it 6–4. That win seemed to light a fire under our opponents, who came out in the second set with a much heavier, spin-focused game—classic lefty tennis. Suddenly, the court felt lopsided with three lefties and one righty. Their change in tactics threw off our rhythm, and we struggled to adjust quickly enough. They ran away with the second set 2–6, sending us into yet another super tiebreak. Again seems like déjà vu. We fought hard, giving it everything we had, but ultimately fell short, losing the tiebreak 6–10. That marked our third straight super tiebreak loss, all with the exact same score: 6–10. A tough pill to swallow, but also a sign that we're consistently just a few key points away.
This loss hit hard. We had a real opportunity—a winnable match against the #2 seeds, who ended up winning the entire tournament. Skill-wise, we truly believed we were the better team. But once again, the mental side of the game got in the way. After losing so many super tiebreakers recently, it's tough not to carry that baggage into the next one. We played the tiebreak afraid to lose instead of excited to win, and that shift in mindset made all the difference. Hopefully we can make that much needed adjustment soon and can end our super tiebreaker losing streak.
Still, as painful as this loss was, we didn’t walk away empty-handed. We learned a lot about how to handle a team with two lefties—a rare but clearly recurring challenge for us. We realized we need to shorten the court and play more through the middle to take away their ability to create angles. That’s now something we’re committed to drilling in practice, especially given how likely it is we’ll run into another lefty duo soon.
The South Florida tournament series isn’t over just yet—we’ve got one more tournament in Orlando next week, and we’re heading into it with clearer focus, a fresh tactical plan, and the determination to finally flip one of these close matches in our favor.
Total Points Earned: 0
Price Breakdown
Gas: $100
Food: $50
Tournament Entry: $20 x 2 =$40
Total Cost: $190
Total Earnings: 47
